Simultaneous determination of geniposide, baicalin, cholic acid and hyodeoxycholic acid in rat serum for the pharmacokinetic investigations by high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A simple, rapid, and specific analytical method for simultaneous determination of geniposide, baicalin, cholic acid and hyodeoxycholic acid in 50 μL samples of rat serum was developed by high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The quantification of the target compounds was determined by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode using electrospray ionization (ESI). The correlation coefficients of the calibration curves were better than 0.997. The intra- and inter-day accuracy, precision, and linear range had been investigated in detail. This method was subsequently applied to pharmacokinetic studies of geniposide, baicalin, cholic acid and hyodeoxycholic acid in rats successfully.